[Por_sha911]

Car companies and the subservient car mags (especially Excellence) are looking for something to sell more vehicles. Faster is an easy number to quote even if it means nothing to the average Joe. I could care less if the new P car has a top speed of 200 mph. I'll never need it and I don't wear post 1000 photos and brag all day about what I own or where I went. A few years back I wrote Excellence Magazine but for some reason , they didn't publish it in the reader response section.

I have been a long time Porsche fan ever since I sold the marque in 1988. It spurred me to buy a 1987 Carrera in 2003 which I still own today. The car isn't all that special but it is treated as the honored guest in my garage. Much has changed over the years but I am not writing to pine for the "good old days". Time moves on and progress should be embraced. That said, Greg Huddock's editorial in your August (#238) issue has helped me to realize that I believe that Greg (as most automotive journalists) has lost perspective.

"Back in the day" when we were trained on how to properly offer a Porsche for sale. It was important to show how Porsche's racing heritage was in the DNA of every car we offered. Whether I owned a 928S4, a 911 Turbo, or a 924, my Porsche was a thoroughbred of the highest caliber. Every Porsche was a machine to be proud of. Did some cars have better stats than others? Yes but, regardless of the badge on the back or the price on the sticker, the name on the front meant you owned a vehicle to be revered and appreciated.

In contrast, it seems to me that today's automotive journalists have to find the ultimate everything in an attempt to out do each other to sell articles and magazines. Should we appreciate the ultimate road going automobile? Absolutely. Should it be the end all? Not in my opinion. We have lost our way. We forgot that there are far more enthusiasts who don't have six figure cars. The Porsche community is not just a handful of elitists with money to burn. If Mr. Van Overbeek wants to buy cars and thrash them that's fine. The majority of us can't do that. Lately, I find myself skipping the rest of an article when the stats get so out of whack that I have trouble relating to them. Should you write about and marvel how the 2017 911 (991.2) has a faster 0-60 than the GT3 RS? You can if you want but I have almost no interest in it since I am not going to need to be going 0-60 in 2.9 (or 3.1) seconds on a public road or autocross track.

So what am I asking? Sing to the audience in front of you and not to yourselves. Porsche doesn't need a new division to help determine which latest greatest vehicle has the best bragging rights. Porsche needs to help the "common" auto enthusiast to appreciate the wonderful history of its bloodline infused into all its cars. Every person who's car has a Porsche crest on the front should hold their head up high knowing they are linked to the heritage of great racing machines and great road going cars. Figure out ways to get back to promoting the proven formula of connecting to the guy or gal who will want to buy a Porsche buy and park in his or her driveway. Otherwise, I worry that there won't be enough people buying Excellence magazine to keep it going.